The Bloodhound Project
Cosworth Group F1 engine and electronics announced as key components in 1,000 mph SuperSonic Car

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Cosworth Group F1 engine and electronics announced as key components in 1,000 mph SuperSonic Car

Press Release

Tuesday, 9 November, 2010

New product sponsor Cosworth Group will call on its aerospace, automotive and motorsport expertise to provide unique technology to support the BLOODHOUND SSC – a car which will travel faster than a bullet in an attempt to break the world land speed record.

Cosworth Group’s advanced electronics and high performance engine technologies will feature in the world’s ultimate racing car, which is powered by two engines and a rocket, to reach a top speed of 1050mph.

Cosworth Group’s data electronics, which are used in a wide range of highly demanding applications from aerobatics planes and racing cars to wind turbines and sailing boats, will be incorporated into the high-tech vehicle to gather data which will help to control the car and understand its performance.

These electronics will enable an unprecedented 500 channels of data to be beamed live from the car around the world during its land speed record attempts. This data will also be used as a key part of the education programme, which currently has 4000 UK schools using BLOODHOUND Education resources in class to enable the engineers and scientists of the future to get involved in this engineering adventure.

Cosworth Group is also supplying the auxiliary power unit for BLOODHOUND SSC in the shape of its latest Formula OneTM engine - the CA2010, which has proved to be the most reliable in sport today. This 95kg, 750+bhp unit will provide not only essential hydraulic services to the car but will also drive the rocket oxidizer pump which will supply 800 litres of High Test Peroxide (HTP) to the rocket in just 20 seconds - equivalent to 75 pints every second. The rocket is a hybrid, specially developed for BLOODHOUND and the largest ever designed in Europe.

The Cosworth CA2010 engine will be mounted backwards when compared to its normal position in an F1 car. It will be subjected to - 3G acceleration for 40 seconds – not something it was originally designed to withstand with maximum braking forces in F1 only endured for 3 or 4 seconds at a time. However, due to the quality of its design and engineering, Cosworth Group is confident it will work in this new and uniquely challenging scenario.

Cosworth Group Chief Executive Officer Tim Routsis said;“The invitation to participate in such a high profile and adventurous project is both exciting and a privilege for the Cosworth Group. We look forward to working with the Bloodhound team to develop the new technology necessary to achieve the record and inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists.”

220 high-tech engineering companies across the UK are now starting work producing key components for the car. Build will take approximately 12 months to complete prior to runway testing in the UK.

The team aim to be on the Hakskeen Pan, Northern Cape, in South Africa, where the equivalent of 4800 football pitches will be cleared for the event, to begin high speed runs by summer 2013.